BITCRUISER is an action-rhythm title developed by Gearworks Gaming and published by Fantendo, featuring music from the composer F-777 or Jesse Valentine. Receiving its original release on Windows PC; versions have been released for OSX as well as both iOS and Android systems.

Contents

Gameplay

Basic Gameplay

The objective of the game is to guide a ball through a series of pathways and obstacles in a three-dimensional "Pipeline" and to reach 100% mark at the end of the level - this can be achieved by moving the ball left and right whether by using the A & D keys or by tapping either side of the screen on mobile devices and tablets. These obstacles initially include walls, spikes and the edge of the pathways themselves, however more obstacles are introduced later in the game.

As the game progresses, more obstacles are introduced such as Portals, areas in the game where various attributes are applied to the current game such as increased or slowed speed, reversed controls and a mode which causes the ball to shrink down to a smaller size. Other obstacles such as fading paths and walls are also introduced later in the game which make later courses much harder.

Modes

There are two types of mode within the game - Classic Mode and Practice Mode. Within Classic Mode, the player must traverse the course without being hit once by an obstacle or falling off of the path; and should they do so they will be forced to restart the course. Within Practice Mode, however the mode allows you to save checkpoints at certain areas. Should you die during Practice Mode, the game will not restart the course and will instead take you to the checkpoint. Players who attempt Practice Mode will not be credited with progress that they would normally get in Classic Mode, however.

Other Gameplay Elements

As you begin to complete levels, you will unlock new skins to apply to your ball as well as various colours and "sheens". These skins are purely cosmetic and do not change the gameplay of the game.

Modding

Level Creation

A very basic sample of an edited .bcl file.

Though not possible on the iOS and Android versions, it is possible to use third-party software in order to create levels on the Windows PC and OSX versions as well as through the use of the game's own formatting. The process involves the creation of a .bcls file in software such as BITCREATOR and Bold in order to mark pathways, obstacles and portals. The level editors are also able to mark changes in background colour and also have other editing capabilities. Once the level has been completed in one of the level editors, it can be compiled into a .bcls file and can be placed into the /levels/levelscripts directory of BITCRUISER. A .bcl file can then be made in a text editor of the modder's choice and can be filled based upon:

level_id - The level_id serves as the main identifier for the level when called within a .bcls

level_name - The level's name as shown in game, ie. "FLYING'N'STUFF", "SYSTEM SPLIT"

level_diff - The level's difficulty as shown within the game, with 1 to 5 indicating Basic, Intermediate, Hard, Extreme and Masochist respectively.

level_script - The level's .bcls file.

level_priority - The level's position in the levels list, the lower the priority, the closer it'll be to the top of the list.

level_music - The level's music. The music must be in the /music directory of BITCRUISER and must be in a .ogg format or it will not play.

level_music_length - The length of the level's music before the fadeout. Not nescessary, though it makes transition to the finish at the end of the level smoother.

The .bcl can then be placed in the /levels directory of BITCRUISER and it will appear on the game's list of levels. Should the .bcl or .bcls not be complete or are corrupted, the game will immediately crash.

Texture Replacement/Addition & BRSC Modification

Within the /images directory of BITCRUISER - textures, menu-items and other image-based elements are available for modification. This can include background gradients or textures, the game's logo and other in-game textures. Any textures which you wish to add to the game must be saved in the .png format inside their respective folders and will show up in level editors provided that the root folder for BITCRUISER in the level editor for resources is set to the root which you want to use.

A sample of the DEAD RED Sheen BCSH.

Replacing models such as the Ball is a much more complicated process. BRSC Decompiler/Recompiler Software such as BITReader must be used on the game's .brsc in order to locate the model that you wish to replace, which is commonly shown as under the /models directory. The model can then be exported for modification in 3D-Modelling software such as Blender and may be imported and compiled into the .brsc - it is recommended that the model replaced in the .brsc be saved in the event that the new model causes the game to crash.

Sheens present within the game and particle effects are formatted in .bcsh and .bcpe file types present within the game's .brsc file. Using a similar format to .bcl files, once exported .bcsh and .bcpe files can be edited in a text editor and may be modified based upon paramaters which the modder wants.

BITCRUISER Board

The front-page of BITRCRUISER Board.

The BITCRUISER Board is a fan-hosted unofficial community board which is host to a variety of level packs that have been created by the community. Level Packs on the site can be downloaded via a provided download link and various other mods such as texture edits and music-changes are available as well. Technical-Assistance with any in-game bugs and other media such as videos of speedruns/masochist levels is available on the board as well. Groups of modded levels or Level Packs can be posted on the board for critique, download and enjoyment whilst the Videos section can promote certain levels through "Masochist Runs" where the player must complete a Masochist level in Classic Mode fully or "Pack-Speedruns", blind plays of the pack where the player must progress through it all as quickly as possible.

Levels

Main Levels

Screenshot and Music

Name and Difficulty

Description

FLYING'N'STUFFBASIC

The first level of the game and one which serves the purpose of introducing the player to the game's controls and the way it is played. There aren't many major obstacles besides several banking turns and there are no portals in the level - beginners shouldn't have any trouble with this level.

ADVENTURE FANTASYBASIC

ADVENTURE FANTASY introduces more precise banking turns and introduces the first full loops; making it harder than FLYING'N'STUFF. However, it still retains a similar level of difficulty and shouldn't be too hard to complete.

TUXEDO LIGHTSABER BATTLEINTERMEDIATE

TUXEDO LIGHTSABER BATTLE introduces the first instances of the Speed Portal, which dramatically increases the speed of the ball making once easy turns and loops harder. The general difficulty of the level derives from the portal and the looping turns should be tackled with caution.

WANDER OF THOUGHTINTERMEDIATE

A slightly harder level than TUXEDO LIGHTSABER BATTLE, WANDER OF THOUGHT frequently uses alternating Speed Portals in order to confuse the player as well as more complex loops and turns. Switching mid-loop in faster sections and thinner paths during slower ones are common in this level.

SYSTEM SPLITINTERMEDIATE

SYSTEM SPLIT marks what many have called the game's first difficulty spike. Serving as the last intermediate level in the game, SYSTEM SPLIT introduces the Cloning Portal - which causes the player's ball to clone into a second ball, both of which need to be controlled and tracked to prevent either of them from being destroyed by obstacles or falling off of the track.

SONIC BLASTERHARD

SONIC BLASTER introduces the stacked Speed Portal, which further increases the speed of the ball and makes the level incredibly challenging. Though the loops and turns are more simple than those of the previous levels, SONIC BLASTER also uses the Cloning Portal introduced in SYSTEM SPLIT, making the level even more difficult.

SHAOLIN WARRIORHARD

SHAOLIN WARRIOR introduces the Reversal Portal, which causes the player's controls to work in reverse. The change caused by the Reversal Portal makes the level incredibly difficult, especially when tackling loops and complex turns.

VIPEREXTREME

VIPER, being the first of the game's extreme difficulty levels, introduces mechanics which make can make the game incredibly difficult as well as mixing in those from older levels. VIPER introduces what are known as fading pathways, which fade away as they are approached and when in tandem with alternating reversal portals and speed portals the level can take an incredibly high amount of attempts to complete.

DEADLOCKEDEXTREME

DEADLOCKED serves as the player's final hurdle before the game's MASOCHIST-difficulty levels. DEADLOCKED uses all that has been in past levels against you, with double-stacking speed portals being used in tandem with reversal portals and cloning portals making this level a true challenge to behold.

DARK ANGELMASOCHIST

DARK ANGEL is the game's true final trump card - persistently using control-switches, speed portals and cloning in order to make the level as hard as physically possible, even introducing the double-stacked cloning portal to give a thrice-cloned ball. This level is merciless and by no means is "easy" in any sense.

Community Levels

Note: This section can be freely edited by the community should they wish to make custom levels. A GIMP .xcf is available for use here and the font used for the game and for the hexagons is available here. All music files for the game should be uploaded as .ogg files.